Question 1

What is the difference between hydrocarbon and ethanol extraction?

Accepted Answer

Hydrocarbon extraction uses butane, propane, or custom blends to produce premium concentrates—live resin, shatter, wax, and terp sauce—with excellent terpene preservation and high-potency results. It requires a C1D1-compliant facility. Ethanol extraction uses food-grade ethanol for high-volume production of crude oil, distillate, and edibles. Ethanol offers the highest throughput capacity with shorter cycle times (1–2 hours per batch) and lower facility requirements, making it the preferred choice for large-scale operations.

Question 2

Which extraction method produces the best terpene preservation?

Accepted Answer

Hydrocarbon extraction delivers the best terpene preservation. Operating at lower temperatures (down to -40°F), hydrocarbon solvents selectively capture volatile terpene compounds, making this method the industry standard for live resin, terp sauce, and premium concentrate products that command higher prices.

Question 3

Which extraction method has the highest throughput?

Accepted Answer

Ethanol extraction offers the highest throughput capacity. With short centrifuge cycle times of 1–2 hours per batch and very high scalability, ethanol systems process more biomass per shift than hydrocarbon or CO2 methods. This makes ethanol the preferred choice for large-scale producers focused on distillate, edibles, and high-volume crude oil production.

Question 4

What is CO2 extraction best used for?

Accepted Answer

CO2 extraction is best suited for clean-label products, full-spectrum oils, CBD products, pharmaceutical applications, and food-grade extracts. Using supercritical or subcritical CO2, this method leaves no residual solvents in the final product. CO2 is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the FDA, making it the preferred choice for pharmaceutical and premium consumer markets that require solvent-free labeling.

Hydrocarbon vs Ethanol vs CO2